Automobile-lock



R. M. CATTERSON.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

APPLVICATloN man ocr. 25, m9.

1,369,782, Patented Mm'. L WEIL 2 sHEET`ssHEET x.

R. IVI. CAITEHSON.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25. 1919.

1,369,782. Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

HEET 2- 2 SHEETS-S @mue/WISO@ it. l

ROBERT M. CATTERSON, Uli' LOS ANGELES, ALLFRNI.

AUTOMOBILE-LUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

.Application led Getober 25, 1919. Serial No. 333,250.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT M. Ua'r'rnnsoii,

v new and useful Improvements in Antonio 'bilesLoclrm and I do hereby declare the tollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appei tains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures oit reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication. f

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in locks for automobiles and consists of a simple and efficient device of this character whereby the steering post may be securely locked against turning.

The invention comprises a simple and effcient device of this nature having various details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter' fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically deiined in the appended claim.

y invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part ot 4this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the steering gear showing my device applied thereto.` i

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view through the housing shown as attached to the post.

i, Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the housing.

f Fig. 4: is a detail in elevation showing an indicator.

Fig. 5 is an' enlarged section in elevation of the housing illustrating the key hole.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the reverse side of the housing from the view shown in Fig. 5.

Fig; 7 is a sectional view on line 757 ot Fig.

F ig. 8 is a detail perspective view oi a part of the invention, and

Fig. 9 is a detail in section. 4

Reference now being had to the details of the invention by numerals:

1 designates the steering shaft of an automobile to which a wheel 2 is iiXed, and 3 is a hollow stationary siell in which the shatt l has a bearing. A housing Il is fastened by means oit screws 5 to the hxed shell 3. Said shaft 1 is provided with recesses G, which are adapted to receive the inner ends of the bolts and 8 respectively, and the shell 3 is provided with apertures 9 through which the bolts pass to loclr the shaft from rotation. The housing l has a central longitudinal partition l0, as shown clearly in Fig. 'l' of the drawings, and also a partition 11 at right angles thereto, and mounted within the housing are tubular casings 13 and la, in the former of which the bolt 8 is mounted and which is provided with rack teeth 15 thereon, which are normally out oit inesh with the teeth 16 of the rocking wear 1'? in the locked position of the bolt 8. baid bolt i' is also provided" with rack teeth 18 which are in mesh with the rack teeth 19 of the rocking gear 20. rlhe gear 17 has a lrey hole 21 therein which may he of any shape, that in the drawings being curved, and adapted to receive a key of similar shape. A portion of the teeth of the gear 17 meshes with teeth of a pin 22 movable in a tubular casing 23 which is at right angles to the tubular shell 13. A coiled spring 24 bears intermediate the inner end of the tubular shell 13 and a pin itastened to the bolt 8 the purpose oit said spring being to norinally throw the bolt 8 back into the socket end 26 ot the casing 13 after the pin 22 is out of its pathway.

rlfhe gear 20 is heyed to a shaft 27 having a cross pin 28 at its end, as shown clearly in Figs. G and 7, and forming means for rocking' the shaft.

kllvlounted within the housing is a shaft 29, shown clearly in lF ig. '7 of the drawings, which has a worm gear 80 thereon which is in mesh with the worm 31 upon the shaft 82, which has a bearing in the wall of the housing', as shown in Fig. 'l' oi the drawings, a hand wheel 33 being fastened to its end, said wheel being adjacent to the lrey hole in the casing. Two or more disks Sl- (two bein@1 shown in the drawings) are fixed to the shaft 29 and one of said disks has recesses 35 in its outer face at intervals, and 36 designates a shaft which is also journaled in said housing and in alinement with the shaft 29, and has one or more disks 37 fixed thereto, one of said disks having beads 38 which, when the disk carrying them, is moved toward the dislr havingthe recesses therein, are adapted to enter said recesses, thus causing the two sets of dislrs to rotate ico together. Said shaft 36 has a longitudinal movement, and 39 is a coiled spring mounted Vupon the shaft '36 intermediate a boss 40 upon the housing and the handle 41 having a milled circumference.

In order to permit the key to pass through tured at 46, and above said aperture is a key hole closing member 47 which, when it is at its lowest position, closes the key hole 21 and which -it is necessary to move out of the path of said Vkey hole before the key may be inserted. v

. Referring to Fig. 4 of the drawings will be seen-a dial 49, upon which are a series of numerals 50, and 51y`- is an indicator fixed to a'shaft 52 which'has a bearing in the wall I ofthe housing, and which has a gear wheel 53 keyed to'itsend inside thev housing, and in mesh with a gear wheel 54 upon the shaft 31. Said disks 35 and 37 are provided with slots55, one of which is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings which it is necessary to bring into registration to permit the bar 42 to be drawn therein through the medium of the spring 57 before access may be had to the key hole, 'for Athe purpose of unlocking I the'steering shaft.

' In operation: Fig. 2 illustrates the steering shaft in a locked relation, the bolts 7 and 8 engaging the recesses in the shaft.V YVhenit is desired to unlock the steering shaft it will be necessary to bring the slots in the disks 34 and 37 into registration with each other and in the path of the bar 42. To accomplish this, it will be necessary for the operator to know to what extent it will be necessary to rotate the shaft carrying the indicating pointer through the medium of the hand wheel 41.

. If, for instance, it isdesired to rotate the Varrow indicator until it points to numeral 15, it may be done by the operator pushing down upon the hand wheel 41, causing the beads 38 upon the face of the disk 37 to engage the recesses 35 in the adjacent face of the disk 34, and then by turning the wheel 41-until the slots in the disk 34 come in alinement with the key hole. The arrow pointing opposite the numeral 15, for instance, would indicate this position. When the shaft 36 is given a longitudinal movement in orderto bring the disks in position to" rotate together the spring 39 will be put under tension, and when pressure is relieved from the end of the wheel 41, the spring will return the shaft 3G to its normal position, which will separate the beads from the recesses in the adjacent face of the disk 34, after which the disks 37 may be rotated by the wheel 41 until the bar 42 engages slots in the disks 37. When this is done, the slots in the two sets of disks are in registration and the coiled spring 57, which is fastened to one end of the bolt 7 will canse the latter to move longitudinally and will draw the bar 42 keyed thereto into the registering slots in the two sets of disks. rlhis being accomplished the key may be inserted through the slots 35 in the disks and into the slot 21 in the gear 17 and by turning the key may cause the latter to be given a rocking movement.

As before stated a portion of the teeth on the gear 17 is in mesh with teeth upon the bolt 22, and when the gear 17 commences to rock, a longitudinal movel'nent will be imparted to the bolt 22, withdrawing the. same out of the path of the bolt 8. Then upon further rocking movement imparted to the gear 17, the other portion of the teeth thereof will be brought into mesh with the bolt 3, thereby withdrawing the same from the recess 6 in the steering shaft 1 and causing the inner end of said bolt to engage the socket end 26 of the casing 13. The gear 17 is, as shown, provided with interrupted teeth.

The locking bolts 7 and 8 thus being withdrawn from the recesses in the steering shaft, the latter may be turned at will. through the medium of the steering wheel Then it is desired to lock the steering wheel again, it will be necessary to turn the same so that the recesses therein will be in registration with the line of travel of the two bolts 7 and 8, and when this is accomplished the bolt 8 may be thrown into a locking relation with the steering post through the medium of the key turning the segment gear 17 the teeth of which engage the teeth upon the bolt S, also the series of teeth upon said segment 17 engaging the bolt 22 and returning it to its locking position. The bolt 7, however, is thrown to a locked position by turning the shaft 27 by the handle at the end thereof, and which will put the spring 57 attached to the end thereof under tension in readiness to withdraw the bolt when it is again desired to interlock the steering shaft.

lhat I claim to be new is:

A. lock for automobiles, comprisingl a steering shaft with recesses therein, a stationary apertured hollow shell in which said shaft has a bearing, a housing secured to said shell, longitudinally movable spring pressed bolts, having rack teeth thereon, `:fears for moving said bolts to unlocking position, one of said gears being key-actuated and normally out of mesh with the teeth of the bolt adjacent thereto, and the other of said gears being permanently in mesh' With the bolt adjacent thereto, a movable locking pin, normally disposed across the path of movement of the bolt controlled by said key-actuated gear, and provided With rack teeth, engaged by said gear, notched disks, a rotatable shaft upon which one disk is mounted, said disk being provided with recesses in its face, a dia-1, an indicator pointer having a shaft, gear connections between said pointer shaft and the shaft upon which the recessed disk is'mounted, a bar secured to one of said bolts and having an angled extension provided With a key-hole closing projection and an adjacent key-hole, a lugcarrying disk, a spring pressed shaft, on which the said lug-carrying disk is mounted, and a handle upon the spring pressed shaft for moving the latter so that the lugs upon said lugcarrying disk Will engage the other disk, causing the disks to move together when the spring pressed shaft is rotated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature.

ROBERT M. CATTERSON. 

